Common Health Problems of the School-Age Period

Children in their early school years have one of the lowest rates of death and serious illness of any age group. The two
leading causes of death are accidents and cancer.
Dental Caries
Caries (cavities) are progressive, destructive lesions or decalcification of the tooth enamel and dentin.
As stated earlier, dental caries are largely preventable with proper brushing and use of fluoridated water or fluoride
application. When caries do occur, it is important they be treated quickly and the child’s dental hygiene practices be
evaluated and improved if necessary. Most important, children must believe they have a stake in the health or disease
of their teeth so they willingly undertake the self-care measures necessary to ensure healthy teeth, with parental
support rather than parental command.
Malocclusion
malocclusion is a misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of the two dental arches when they approach
each other as the jaws close.
 cleft lip and palate
 frequent use of a pacifier after the age of 3
 prolonged use of bottle feeding in early childhood
 thumb sucking in early childhood
 injuries that result in the misalignment of the jaw
 tumors in the mouth or jaw
 abnormally shaped or impacted teeth
 poor dental care that results in improperly fitting dental fillings, crowns, or braces
 airway obstruction (mouth breathing), potentially caused by allergies or by enlarged adenoids or tonsils

CONCERNS AND PROBLEMS OF THE SCHOOL-AGE PERIOD

One of the most important disorders of the school-age period is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
because it interferes so dramatically with school progress.A person with ADHD has differences in brain development and
brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control. ADHD can affect a child at school, at home, and
in friendships.
 Problems Associated With Language Development
The common speech problem of the preschool years is broken fluency; the most common problem of a school-age child
is articulation. The child has difficulty pronouncing s, z, th, l, r, and w or substitutes w for r (“westroom” instead of
“restroom”) or r for l (“radies’ room” instead of “ladies’ room”).
 Common Fears and Anxieties of a School-Age Child
 Anxiety Related to Beginning School
 School Refusal or Phobia
School refusal is fear of attending school. It is a type of “social phobia” similar to agoraphobia (fear of going outside the
home).
 Home Schooling
 Latchkey Children
Latchkey children are schoolchildren who are without adult supervision for part of each weekday. The term alludes to
the fact they generally carry a key so they can let themselves into their home after school.

 Sex Education
It is important that school-age children be educated about pubertal changes and responsible sexual practices so they are
well prepared for these.
 Stealing
Stealing occurs because, although a child is gaining an appreciation for money, this appreciation is not yet balanced by
strong moral principles.
 Violence or Terrorism
Children basically view their world as safe, so it is a shock when violence such as a school shooting or reports of
terrorists enter their lives.
 Bullying
A frequent reason school-age children cite for feeling so unhappy that they turn guns on classmates is that they were
ridiculed or bullied to the point they could no longer take such abuse.
 Recreational Drug Use
Once considered a college or high school problem, illegal drugs such as marijuana are now available to children as early
as elementary school and certainly by the time they reach the seventh and eighth grades
 Children of Alcoholic Parents
As many as one in five children live with an alcoholic parent. Such children are at greater risk for having emotional
problems than are others because of the frequent disruption in their lives. Alcoholism may have a genetic cause, so
children of alcoholics may be more likely to become alcoholics. They also can learn poor coping behavior.
 Obesity
As many as 50% of school-age children are obese by body mass index guidelines for ideal weight. Some of these children
have been overweight since infancy; their prepubertal natural weight gain makes them obese. Children with an
endomorphic build (a natural tendency to accumulate body fat) are more likely to be obese at any time of life than those
with a mesomorphic (normal) or ectomorphic (slender) build.